The Devil Wears Prada - Zombie EP

The Devil Wears Prada is a Christian metalcore band that was formed in Dayton, Ohio in 2005 consisting of Mike Hrancia on the vocals, Chris Rubey on lead guitar, Jeremy DePoyster on rhythm guitar and vocals, Andy Trick on bass, Daniel Williams on drums and James Baney on the keyboards. 'Zombie EP' is the band’s first EP, and their fourth album in total.

'Zombie EP' was certainly a new experience for the band’s devoted fans when it was released on August 24th, 2010 through Ferret Music. Hrancia, the lead singer, is quoted as saying, “The whole thing is just completely based upon zombies. Last fall, I was on a real zombie kick and I thought, ‘What if we made a zombie song?’ All it took was me just saying that to the band, and we had our hearts set on doing this EP.” As a fan of the band and zombies, I can say that this album was easily my favorite of the four, and definitely my favorite metalcore album of all time. Including just five tracks, it takes the listener through the tale of a zombie apocalypse, beginning to end.

The style is notably faster than the band’s other albums, and Hrancia acknowledged this, calling it the ‘fastest music they’ve ever written’. The opening song is particularly compelling, and throws the listener right into the apocalypse. The first song, ‘Outnumbered’, begins with what seems to be a Public Service Announcement; a warning that many are infected and no one is safe. The warning to kill anyone on sight who may seem infected, loved one or no, is truly chilling. From there, we’re thrown into an impressive breakdown and Hrnacia paints a portrait of a world destroyed with his amazing vocals. Sitting and listening, I cannot help but picture exactly what he’s describing and of course, bang my head just a tad. Hrancia’s screaming along with DePoyster’s clean vocals mix together perfectly in harmony, particularly in this song, as they warn listeners to find protection. It truly reads exactly like a story.

The entire album is set up in the same story-style, and done wonderfully at that. So rarely do entire albums tell a specific story, start to finish, and it is incredibly impressive that these men were able to not only tell a great story with just five songs, but they were able to make each song unique and amazing, with a different tempo and style that all put together, flow perfectly from one to the next. Likewise, if you listen out of order, each song is enjoyable on its own.
Unlike the speed of the first song, the last song—the second most compelling on the album—is much slower. Entitled ‘Survivor’, it is told in the first person perspective of a man who has lived through the apocalypse, and is still living in it. The lyrics at the beginning read:

“I am one of the last few standing, a survivor on a farm
Just along the outskirts of a small city
Like most that have made it this far
I live off of old canned goods and a healthy back stock of ammunition

Greetings from extermination
Kansas - death in the Midwest.”

Hrancia’s vocals put this lyrics in perfect time, much like poetry. This song sets out to end the album with a bang, and is successful. The breakdown in the last minute of the song puts me in every mosh pit I’ve ever been in; it is a hardcore fan’s wildest dream come true. It is powerful not only in that, but in the lyrics. The narrator of the song tells of his wife’s death, evoking emotion from the listener, and ends truly with a bang of emotion:

“I will never see through this nightmare
I will never know sunlight again
I will never see through this nightmare
I will never taste her lips again.”

No happy ending to this album; it speaks of devastation, destruction and loss, all the way through, keeping with the true zombie apocalyptic form. Metalcore albums with this form are few and far between, and I personally have never come across one as impressive as this all the way through. Not a single song is lesser than the others, not a single song isn’t incredibly well-done and compelling. To me, this album puts other Christian Metalcore bands just a step below The Devil Wears Prada. The uniqueness in the story-telling style, along with the outstanding quality of the music, puts this band just a cut above the rest.

If you’re in to any type of metal, hardcore or rock music, this is definitely an album that you will enjoy and I give it a ten out of ten!